Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Ambassador of Peru to the United States Harold Forsyth Wednesday signed an agreement to strengthen cultural, economic and academic ties and tackle shared challenges, including climate change.

“Today, California and Peru have pledged to work together on issues of mutual concern, including trade, science and initiatives to combat climate change,” said Governor Brown.

“This is a historic step in the dynamic and prosperous bilateral relationship between Peru and the state of California – one of the strongest markets in the world,” Ambassador Forsyth said. “The agreement is a model of cooperation, trade liberalization and investment promotion between the North and South. The peoples of California and Peru will be the direct beneficiaries and that will help create stronger bridges between our countries.”

The memorandum of understanding signed today builds on months of collaboration between Peru and California, including a meeting last August where the Governor shared the consensus statement on climate change with Ambassador Forsyth. This document translates key scientific findings from disparate fields into one unified message for policymakers, industry and the general public.

Through today’s agreement, Peru and California have committed to exchanging “experts and joint projects in climate change mitigation and adaptation policies, air quality, forest management, water quality and water management” and promoting the public and private use of clean technologies. Additionally, the two parties agreed to cooperate on food safety, fishery management and agricultural sustainability and collaborate on educational and cultural exchanges and promote trade and tourism.